By Lori Ehde
Farmers aren't the only ones waiting for drier soil this spring. The harsh winter and wet spring have complicated normal processes at area cemeteries this year.
Todd Evans, Luverne, is wrapping up his first year as manager of Maplewood Cemetery and said he's learned a lot in a short time.
In the midst of one of the coldest and snowiest winters on local record, Maplewood Cemetery handled an extraordinary number of burials.
"We had 51 funerals this winter," Evans said. "That's a lot when you consider we average 65 to 70 in a year."
Now, when he's scrambling to catch up on winter burials and preparing the cemetery for Memorial Day, Mother Nature won't cooperate with drying weather.
The cemetery still has 20 graves that need to be packed and seeded, but the work can't be done until the water table drops.
The sealed vaults are in the ground covered with dirt, but water is seeping around the edges, making it impossible to finish the job.
But things could always be worse. In 1993, there were no burials for six weeks due to wet grounds.
"That was a horror show," said Vance Walgrave, former cemetery manager. "They were keeping them in funeral homes.
"Big patches of grass died from setting in water, and big trees that had been here for 50 to 60 years drowned."
This year, funerals carried on as usual, but at one point this spring, the ground was too wet for regular cemetery equipment, and a backhoe was needed to dig a grave.
The Maplewood Cemetery Association recently purchased 40 acres of land to the west, which will allow for more options in the future.
That soil is on higher ground, but Evans said it won't be available for use for at least another two years.
Meanwhile, Evans said he's holding out for drying weather.
"Every time it gets dry enough to do anything, it rains again," Evans said. "It's just like the farmers out in the field - you can't do anything until it dries."